Thursday’s Tale: Disney Manga: Tangled

by Carol2 Comments
The story is the same as the Tangled movie from 2010. It's a re-imagining of Rapunzel, but the only thing it really has in common with the original fairy tale is the girl with long hair kept in a tower. The princess, Rapunzel, is stolen from her crib by Mother Gothel, because her can magically heal people.  Mother Gothel hides Rapunzel in the tower, forbidding her to ever leave it, keeping the precious hair safe. While Gothel is away getting a present for Rapunzel’s 18th birthday, Flynn Ryder ends up in the tower as he's on the run from the palace guards. Rapunzel recognizes her chance and convinces Ryder, with the help of a frying pan, to take her to see the annual lights festival. Adventure, danger, love and the requisite happy ever after ending all follow. The story is what it is, it's Tangled re-done as a manga. I thought the manga art was well-done and I'm sure middle schoolers would...
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A Voice in the Night by Andrea Camilleri

by Carol3 Comments
I've read/listened to several Montalbano mysteries. In A Voice in the Night we've got several of the series standards - corrupt politicians, police who are being pressured for certain results,  good food. Montalbano is a good cop, in that he's not in the mafia's pocket and is not afraid to go against the politicians. He doesn't always stick to the law, though. Both of the mysteries have their twists and turns. I especially liked how the young woman's murder was plotted, even though I felt bad for the boyfriend. As always, I find Salvo amusing and interesting. The title is perfect, it pulls from a pivotal part of the story, one that may not actually put Montalbano in the best light, but does highlight his need to find the real culprit, not just accept what "they" want. I'll definitely read more in the series, but they're not gripping enough to buy; I always borrow them from the library. They are consistent though -...
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Thursday’s Tale: The Little Red Hen

by Carol5 Comments
Amber's 17 now, so I don't really have much need to look at little kids books except for Christmas and my nieces' and nephews' birthdays, and then I always buy physical books. I just learned today that a bunch of the Little Golden Books I remember as a kid are available for Kindle, with the same illustrations and everything. In the tale, the little red hen finds a grain of wheat and asks for help from the the duck, the goose, the cat, and the pig to plant it, but they all decline. They each are doing something fun, as the pictures show. At each later stage (reaping, carrying the wheat to the mill, making the flour into dough, and baking the loaf), the hen again asks for help from the other animals, but each time no one wants to help her. Finally, the bread is ready and the hen asks who will help her eat the bread. This time, everyone volunteers, but...
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When the Sky Falls by Joseph Bendoski

by Carol1 Comment
I loved the concept of When the Sky Falls and it was clearly well-researched. Sky Fall Events cause mass panic in a population, but the "news" itself is fictional. It's a little complicated subject, but fascinating really. The writing style is direct, which works here. The book starts off with a really gripping scene, which you can read below. A couple of complaints. First, there are a lot of characters. It was a bit difficult to keep track of them and several of them are not as well-developed as they could be. Second, there was a bit too much violence for me personally, especially in the second half of the book. I guess I just wasn't expecting it. Read an excerpt: Porto, Portugal. October 30, 1988 The lights flickered and went dark, that’s when it started. Luis reached up and adjusted the bulb with his fingers. The hot glass burned his skin. He gritted his teeth as the sensation grew stronger. He doubted the bulb...
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Scattershot by Bill Pronzini

by Carol1 Comment
Nameless is having a really bad week. Three cases, all of which should be quick, easy money, go awry, landing him in the hot seat. And, to top it off, thing are not going great with his girlfriend. I don't really have much to say about the book, even though I definitely enjoyed it. It's a quick story and I love how Nameless manages to solve the crimes. All three are basically locked room mysteries and getting to the answers take both seeing the clues and having that flash of insight. I also appreciated that even though we do have three mysteries, they're actually unrelated. Too often in mysteries, everything conveniently ties together; here they don't, which feels  more realistic to me. I could have done without the moping about the girlfriend. I'm pretty sure that his pressuring her was not helping their relationship. This is the first full-length Nameless story I've read, so I'm not sure how it compares to others, but...
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The Last of August by Brittany Cavallaro

by Carol5 Comments
To be honest, I don't really have much to say about this one. I enjoyed the first in the series, maybe partly because of the novelty but also because it was fun for the most part. This time around the Watson and Holmes were both a little more annoying and we didn't get to spend much time with the characters I liked. Maybe overall is was a little too full of YA drama for a mystery for me. Yes, you're angry and jealous and whiny - I'm tired of hearing about it. Yes, you have a variety of issues, few of which are your fault, but you should definitely see a therapist. Can we get back to the mystery? But then the mystery's a bit disappointing. And I hated the ending. The thing is, I really want to like this series. Since it's only a trilogy, I'll probably borrow the last from the library when it comes out and hope it makes up for...
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